Sybaexternal USB Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows, Mac, Linux Extra Audio Source with 3.5mm Audio Mic Jack C-Media Chipset

EDIT: I recently bought 2 more of these. CablesOnline is selling the old version but Aston K is selling the newer version. Buy from Aston K to get the updated version!I notice a lot of people here on Amazon seem to be completely clueless when it comes to examining a product thoroughly and giving a detailed, unemotional review so here's something I hope is useful.The following was done with 3 different Windows 7 SP1 machines and nothing more.Recently, I lost my Audio Advantage Micro which I've been using for many years so I decided to buy a replacement. I was looking at Amazon and while I was leaning towards the Creative USB Go key but I couldn't help notice the very cheap Syba dongle with such glowing reviews. I decided to buy it since the total price was barely anything and if it sucked I'd just get the pricier one.I just got this little guy in today and it's definitely not the most sturdy built thing, but it was fine enough for every day use without breaking it. You'd have to be a complete moron to break this thing, really. The build quality is exaggerated by some people here. It's really just fine, even beyond the price you are paying for it. If you really are that paranoid about breaking it and have a tendency to do such thing, you could always just give it a good wrap with some electrical tape and add more protection that way.The two things I noticed people were complaining about were about how much it sticks out and the "annoying" light. Coming from the Audio Advantage Micro, this light is a very dim green that blinks when audio is being fed. I don't know about most people but my attention span is higher than that of a kitten so I was able to not be annoyed by it because there's a big bright screen in front of me, you know? Seriously though, it's not distracting unless you have some major ADHD. As for the shape, this dongle sticks out less than all of my USB keys and my AA Micro so its really not a problem. The only issue I can see being a problem is that the width of the dongle might block other ports. However, if you have a brain, you should be able to look at your ports and see if this will be a problem beforehand.Another thing I need to mention is that the chipset seems to be updated in recent models. It uses the CM-119 chipset according to the plastic container, and also, there seems to be a 3 year warranty on these little guys according to people on Newegg so if you have a problem, just email Syba support and they might be able to replace this easily if yours does go out.One final note: on Windows 7, I'm noticing that 12% seems to be the best volume level for headphones. I thought it would be 4% like some people said, but nope, 12% seems fine.So yeah, overall, this dongle is great for the price and I am enjoying it. I could have sunk a lot more into something else but this works fine.And now for some important notes:1) Follow the directions. You have to connect both the microphone and headphones to the dongle before you plug it into your machine to get Windows to recognize the drivers and add those 2 outputs. You only need to do this the first time. If you screw this up, you need to go to Device Manager and uninstall the drivers, reboot and try again.2) The microphone level is 0 by default for some reason. You have to raise it to get it to work. Go to Control Panel, Sound, then right click the Recording tab to see the USB Mic input. Right click it to get the properties page and look at the "Levels" tab. Adjust to your liking. Using the "Listen" tab to listen to yourself talking to get the right volume.3) Again, if this thing shorts out on you. Email Syba and they will probably replace it for you.4) You can achieve higher sound quality if you go the properties for BOTH the mic and headphone output and select 48000khz.5) If sound effects are enabled in those properties pages. Disable them. You don't need them. Your voice will sound clearer without them.

I have a small business in which I loan out laptops and headphones to deliver a listening program which helps children with learning difficulties. The 3.5 mm jack on my computers must be tight for the headphones to properly deliver the computer program - this 3.5 mm jack working properly is the weak link between the computer program and a child who can learn better.Over time the 3.5 mm jack on many of my laptops has gotten loose, or a client has ripped out the headphones, breaking the plastic ring around the 3.5 mm jack, which makes the plug wobbly. The sound isn't transmitted properly when this happens. To make matters worse, I'm not made of money, and these laptops have the 3.5 mm jack as an integral part of the motherboard, so you can see that the computer becomes an expensive doorstop if that jack gets messed up.I learned about a USB to 3.5 mm adapter that could keep my loaner computers in business. I bought several that transmitted no sound, made a loud, continuous popping sound, or modified the sound coming to the headphones so that the listening program didn't work right. These were not solutions. I needed a USB adapter that made the sound exactly like the sound coming out of the 3.5 mm jack.Enter the Syba external USB Stereo Sound Adapter. It is plug-and-play, so the laptop recognizes it right away. The sound coming from the new 3.5 mm jack on the USB adapter is exactly like the sound coming from the original 3.5 mm jack, and my program works exactly as it should. For a few bucks, I can save several $800 computers from oblivion! This is like having Christmas arrive early!Some of my Windows computers recognized and immediately re-routed the sound to the USB/3.5 mm adapter, some I had to right-click on the volume icon and choose Playback Devices, then select the Syba as default audio output device. That took about 15 seconds, so not a big bother. I am a passable techie, not an expert, so I can't explain why this happens, but if you buy the adapter and get no sound, remember this! You can get to the correct area by typing Device Manager in the Search bar, but right-clicking on the speaker icon on the task bar gets you to the right place in one jump.I am going to buy a bunch of these so I have them on hand for when my next loaner computer needs a new 3.5 mm jack!